


take a rest

by m34ns



Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: Can you tell?, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Or do they?, Pre-Relationship, bc im a sucker for that, frong is a capricorn that works himself to the bone bc he's stupid baby, i watched this show in one night and now i would die for frong, they like each other but they don't know yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m34ns/pseuds/m34ns
Summary: When Frong slips on the icy edge of his thoughts, Thara is there to catch him.
Relationships: Thara/Frong
Comments: 7
Kudos: 175





	take a rest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doctorbeam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorbeam/gifts).



You could say Frong is a control freak. He will not, by no means, admit it out loud, but he knows it inside. He needs to be in control of the situation he is in in order to feel that he is in control of his life. He makes plans, he plans his day, a little to-do list always at the start of every page in his notebook, then he plans his week, just as he planned most of his future life. He’s the youngest, he had so much support, so of course he needs to be successful, he needs to make his parents and his brothers proud. Everyone expects that from him, himself the most.

It’s just that, lately, his plans had come crashing down. His daily to-do lists remaining unchecked because he had to help with the flower shop whenever his brother needed to go somewhere, his eight hours of sleep per day starting to become less, because he has so many assignments to keep up with, so many exams to study for and ace. The news of his mother’s illness coming like a tsunami over him, all he could think then being _“I’m going to lose her, I’m going to lose her”_ , he was the one that had to drop the news to his family.

His head started to hurt more, not only because he was hitting it on things, like before. His hours of sleep got even shorter, the bags under his eyes darker. He was constantly tired and constantly tried to ward off his tiredness with coffee and energy drinks. Stronger coffee. More energy drinks. He just needs to get back on his feet, to regain his balance.

Thara is in his office when the nurse asks him if he can see a patient that just came in. It’s rarely a time he’s free and doesn’t have any appointments for the rest of his shift, which ends in 15 minutes anyway, but he accepts to see the patient nonetheless.

It surprises him when he sees Frong entering his cabinet a few minutes later, and what it surprises him even more is seeing the state Frong is in. He looks exhausted, his usual perfect white shirt a little wrinkly and his tie barely crooked. He doesn’t look like Frong.

“Hello,” he says softly, remaining professional. “what can I help you with?”

Since he is a walk-in, Thara doesn’t have his file with the symptoms.

“Hello. My head is hurting, I think it’s a migraine. Can I get some pain killers prescribed?”

His voice is rougher than the last time Thara heard him, although he speaks in a quiet tone.

“Do you have any idea why your head might be hurting? Did you hit it?” he asks anyway, even if he already knows the answer. He hopes that’s the case, but the state of the man in front of his says otherwise.

“No, I didn’t hit it… It hurts for a while now… It’s just that… now it got harder to bear.”

Something in Thara breaks a little, and he knows he will drop every patient protocol he has to follow, but he can make an exception for Frong.

“For how long, Frong? How bad is the pain?”

His hand on the pen aches to go and soothe Frong’s temple and forehead, the space between his eyebrows.

“I… don’t know? Two weeks maybe?”

“Two weeks?!” he says before he could stop himself. “Frong, that’s a very long time… why didn’t you come earlier?”

“I know, I just… I’ve been so busy and had so much to do, it’s just getting unbearable and I can’t even sleep sometimes.”

Thara sighs, feeling sorry and worried. Frong clearly overworks himself and he’s sure his migraines come from lack of sleep and from stress. He understands where he’s coming from, but he’s going to destroy himself in this rhythm.

“I’m going to prescribe to you some painkillers, they’re stronger than Paracetamol so I think they can help with the pain. But you need to work on the source of the problem, Frong.”

Frong looks too tired to fight back, which is a very strange look on him, who’s always ready to bite back with a smart, sarcastic remark.

“You need to sleep more and have a balanced schedule, so you can ease the stress that causes the migraines.”

“It’s easy to say...” Frong says, but it’s so quiet that it feels more like a defence, rather than a backbite.

“C’mon, my shift ends in a few minutes, I’ll drive you home after you pick up your medication.”

Frong wants to say no, it’s ok, he can take a taxi back since his brother dropped him off in the morning, but Thara looks at him with such stern eyes that he deflates and accepts the ride.

He takes his prescription and exits the cabinet, going to the desk he’s supposed to pick up his meds from. He waits for a bit, as the pharmacist goes in the back room to get them, and as he is handed the white paper back on which the lady wrote the instructions, a hand lands on his shoulder. He looks back, looking Thara back in the eyes. He no longer has his white coat on, and has a bag on his shoulder.

“Come on, my car is very close to the exit.”

“Can I take one now?” Frong asks looking at the pills as soon as he's seated.

“Sure, it will make you sleepy anyway.”

Frong stops then, frowning.

“Then I’ll leave it for later.” he says putting the pills in his bag, along with the bottle of water he intended to drink from.

“Frong, you need to rest. Take one now and get to sleep as soon as you get home.” Thara doesn’t want to lecture him, but he finds it hard to keep his voice calm.

“I really can’t, I still need to finish my assignments.”

“When are they due?” Thara tries his best to keep his tone down, but it’s Friday, Frong sure can postpone them for a day.

“The day after tomorrow, but can’t do them tomorrow because I need to look after the shop and study for my presentation and test next week.” He says fast, looking down at his shoes.

“Frong! You need to take a rest!” Thara had enough. It’s the first time in a while he raises his voice, and he doesn’t want to scold Frong, he’s old enough, but he can’t sit and watch him wasting himself like this.

“I can’t! I really can’t!” He expected Frong to raise his voice back. What he didn’t expect is the way his voice cracks a little as he goes on. “I have so much to do and so little time, I feel like it slips out of my fingers.” He says looking at his hands. “I want to spend as much time as I can with my mom and keep her company so she doesn’t feel lonely, and take care of her, and help my brother with the shop because she can no longer do it, I want to help them. I need to help them…”

His eyes well up with tears as he speaks, breath becoming more erratic. Frong is so tired and broken and all he wants is do good and be good.

“I just want to be a good son and brother, P’Thara… But I still need to do my school work too… It’s so hard, why is it so hard?”

The poor soul has been working himself to the bone, Thara realizes. He doesn’t like to act like a senior around Frong, as he does around Duen and his gang of friends or his other juniors, and that’s because Frong is more mature than most of them, he can take of himself -or mostly can, anyway-, he is capable and level-headed. But the truth is he’s still young, and while Thara is not that much older than him, he’s still his senior and he can’t let Frong go through this alone.

“Frong,” he starts, his voice calm and sweet again, as he puts his hand on Frong’s shoulder, “you’re a good son and a good brother. Your family appreciate you and the effort you make so much. But you need to understand that you have to put yourself first sometimes. This means you have to put your health over other things. You need to take care of yourself, of your body.”

As he says this, he opens Frong bag and takes the painkillers and the water out, while Frong looks at him. He takes one pill out of the foil and gives it to Frong, opening the bottle for him.

“Be good and take this, ok?”

Frong nods, but he’s standing still, looking at the medicine in his open palm. Thara waits for him to say something, this time he won’t push him to speak.

“P’Thara…” the man starts slowly, almost shyly, Thara would say. “I don’t… I don’t want to go home. If I go to my room I will feel so guilty for sleeping instead of working and I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

Thara smiles, squeezing his shoulder weakly.

“Do you want to come to my place? You can sleep as long as you like.”

Thara is more than ok with having Frong over, if it means he can see him actually sleeping. The man next to him ponders on the question, so Thara tries again.

“My couch is really comfortable, just so you know.”

Frong relaxes a bit for whatever reason, looking the senior in the eyes for the first time since they entered the car, Thara realizes.

“Is it truly ok for me to come over?”

“Of course is it, Frong. You won’t bother me one bit.”

Frong nods slowly, muttering something that sounds like ‘thank you’, and Thara takes it.

“Now take your meds. You can sleep in the car, if you feel like it, it will take a little to get there. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

And as Thara starts the engine, Frong makes himself comfortable in the seat, his eyes now closed. Thara glances at him, his face finally peaceful. It brings a smile on his face, he doesn’t know why, but he’s happy and content he can help Frong. If that means he gets to see his beautiful sleeping face, it’s just a bonus.


End file.
